Top 5 Green Building Products As Voted by Builders

As reported by LA Times blog Pardon Our Dust, the Pacific Coast Builders Conference holds an annual competition for the coolest building products and the green building product selections are in. This year, over 600 home-building professionals voted on roughly 125 product submissions, and some of the best have risen to the top. The following list represents the cool-product winners in the green building category for 2008:

1. Rinnai LS Series Tankless Water Heater

Tankless water heaters are small, provide on-demand water on an endless basis, and are energy efficient. Rinnai’s water heaters are said to be 30% more energy efficient than traditional natural gas water heaters and up to 50% more efficient than electric water heaters. More on Rinnai LS Series tankless water heaters.

2. Eagle Solar Roof

Eagle Solar Roof is a system that maintains the aesthetics of a tile roof while integrating flush, solar panels to generate electricity. Other than a slight change in color where the solar panels are placed in the roof, this system has been popular with upscale developments in the Southwest. Eagle Roofing has a nice selection of concrete roofing tiles, too. More on Eagle Solar Roof.

3. Cree LED Lighting LR6 Light Bulb

I’ve heard that these lights are selling out in green building stores — so I’m not surprised to see product on the list. The LR6 installs easily in most standard 6-inch recessed IC or non-IC housings and provides good light, energy efficiency, beautiful color, and affordability. More on the Cree LED LR6.

4. Akeena Solar Andalay Solar Panels

[pictured above] The Akeena Andalay system is sleek, modern, all black, and has no spaces between the panels. The system also requires 70% fewer roof-assembled parts and 25% fewer roof penetrations — making it cheaper to install. Andalay has proven to be quick to install and less industrial in appearance. More on Akeena Solar Andalay.

5. GE Profile SmartDispense Front-load Washer/Dryer

Not only is the SmartDispense W/D combo stylish, but it’s smart, too. Using H2ITION technology, the washer automatically senses the load and uses the right amount of water, saving roughly 5,800 gallons per year compared to a typical top-load washer. It also sucks most of the water out through the rinse cycle, so drying doesn’t take as long. The SmartDispense washer has storage for detergent and softener and adds that automatically based on the load size. More on GE Profile SmartDispense.